Method of cleaning hemp and other fibrous plants



, Aug. 31 1926.

G. A. LOWRY METHOD OF CLEANING HEMP AND OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS Filed Sept. 30. 1924 INVENTOR ATrORNEYS' Patented Aug. 31, 192

; .UNITED "STATES 1,598,094 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. LOWR'Y, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

rnmconn, me, urnus'rnn, on NEW Y0 BK, N. Y.,. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF CLEANING HEMP AND OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS.

I Application filed September This invention relates t o a method of sepatically no loss of fiber and whereby the fiber is obtained in substantial streamers of ribbon-like shape.

' I accomplish this purpose, broadly, by causing the fiber to be loosened at one end of the plant stalk and at the same time causing the loosened fiber and freed woody stalk h to be sharply deflected from its axial path of travel as the stalk is constantly moved forward. This action causes a constant vibration and 'arring of the active end of the stalk, which results in freeing the fiber and breaking the freed stalk in short,lengths to be. thus eliminated from the entrained fiber. In other words, the end of the plant stalk is violently vibrated by, for example, striking it quick, sharp blows, which vibration or jarring action causes the fibers to loosen. The loosened fiber is pulled laterally off the stalk to be peeled from the stalk .end andthe stalk is thereby fed forward and broken off in short lengths. As the bared woody stalk is advanced it-is broken out by pieces and is thus eliminated from the deflected moving fiber mass. This Vibration and constant change of theend stalk acts favorably to constantly loosen additional fiber materials as the stalk isadvanced and pulled forward thereby. The loosenedfiber is thus in effect stripped from the freed woody core, and the core is laid bare and broken off after the fiber is stripped therefrom, in the manner stated. The effect of this action is in art shown in the accompanying,

drawing. is drawing shows, in a more or less diagrammatic manner, the effect of subjecting plant stalks of, for example, hemp, to my mode of treatment and operation; and while the drawing is made from actual samples of plant stalks having undergone my mode oftreatment, the representations are to be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Referring now to the drawing- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a hemp stalk, the end of which has been subjected to my mode of treatment.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation thereof.

so, "1924. Serial No. 740,705.

Fig. 3 is a forward end view; and

somewhat enlarged.

Where the fiber producing plant, as for example the hemp stalk 10, represented in Figs. 1 and 2, is subjected to my mode of treatment, the fiber 11 is first loosened from the woody stalk part 12. It is then deflected or pulled at a substantial angle to be thus stripped from the loosened core 12. This Fig. 4 represents a portion of the fiber core is at the same time also deflected and,

as it is brittle, is broken into short lengths 13 to be thus eliminated from the mass of more or less ribbon-shaped fiber. These fibers are generally in long streamers, which not infrequently are of the full length of the plant stalk from which they have been separated by my mode of procedure. There is, further, no loss of fiber as the fiber is all removed from the woody core of the plant "stalk and is completely separated therefrom.

The mode of operation above described may be carried out by hand, or it may be practiced by any suitable machine, such for ex-' ample, as I have described in my copendin g application, Serial No. 740,706, of even date herewith.

In describingmy invention, I have named hemp as a typical example of fibrous plant upon which my new method is very, satisfactory and effectively practiced, but I do not thereby desire to be understood as thus limiting myself, as my method is applicable to any fibrous plant from which the fibers,

and in particular thebast fibers, are to be removed.

What I claim, therefore, as new and. use

ful, of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. The method of peeling the fibrous skin from the core of fiber bearing plants, which comprises pulling the skin at an angle to the core to thereby strip said core unbroken, and then breaking said core.

2. The method of separating fiber from a fiber bearin'g'plant, which comprises causing said fiber-bearing plant to be moved endwise, and while thus moved causing the fiber to bedeflected from the path of the moving plant, thereby stripping the. fiber from its unbroken core, and then breaking the core.

3. The method of separating fiber from fiber-bearing plant stalks which comprises causing said plant stalks to advance endwise, and While so moving causing the ends ing the fiber.

freed stalk ends to bewdisrupted, thereby loosening the fiber from the core and removing the Woody core'afte'r the fiber has been peeled therefrom.

4. The method of separating fiber .from fiberbeari ng plant stalks, which comprises causing said plant stalks to be moved end- W'ise by a pull on the fiber to peel said fiber from the core and While so moving said stalks, causing the ends of the stalks to be broken b disruptive aotion,

thereby 1oosen-' W- stalks end of hich compfiiseslaying bare and repeatedly deflecting the bared said stalks in one directlon to break the core of said the same while pulling aside the fiber and thereby causing the stalks to be pulledfor- 20 Ward by the from its fiber.

deflected fiber and stripped In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand 

